Sensor assemblies, by means of which a gait analysis of a patient is to be carried out, are known. Because the sensor assemblies have a very large volume, they must be installed into test prostheses which should correspond as closely as possible to the prostheses used in practice. However, due to the different construction of the test prosthesis and the changed weight distribution due to the sensor assembly, the only gait analyses possible may correspond only in a very limited manner to the gait with a prosthesis used in practice.
Furthermore, there have been attempts to provide the patient with a sensor assembly, constructed with accelerometers, on an extremity fitted with the prosthesis. Such an assembly can be used to analyze the gait dynamics, but it allows no measurement of loads on the prosthesis in a stationary state or in the case of quasi-static movements.
DE 101 39 333 A1 discloses a prosthesis with a thigh part, a knee joint, a lower leg part and a foot part, in which the lower leg part is formed to hold a sensor assembly. The sensor assembly is set up for the metrological separation of axial loads from bending loads. It includes a frame with bent side-struts for measuring the bending load and a central, thin strut for measuring the vertical (axial) load.
It is not only desirable to determine forces and/or torques for prostheses, but also for numerous other areas of application, for example for the design and control of robot arms.